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Dunnes Stores Directed to Make Charitable Donations Following Sale of Expired Baby Formula

 Ireland: Dunnes Stores Unlimited, headquartered on South Great George's Street, Dublin, has been ordered to make significant donations to three charities after pleading guilty to selling expired baby formula. The case, brought by the Health Service Executive (HSE), involved breaches of European food safety regulations at the retailer's Trimgate Street branch in Navan in February 2024.

The incident came to light on February 8, 2024, when a customer purchased 13 bottles of Aptamil Ready-to-Feed Infant Formula, each 200ml in volume. On February 10, a five-week-old baby was fed from one of the bottles after the formula was transferred to a sterile container. The infant refused the formula and vomited. Upon inspection, the baby’s father noticed the formula appeared discolored and discovered it was past its expiration date—June 9, 2015. Another bottle in the batch had an expiration date of February 3, 2024.

The baby was taken to Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan and subsequently transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. Although no treatment was required, the child was kept overnight for observation, as detailed by the prosecution’s lawyer in court before Judge Eirinn McKiernan.

A doctor from the hospital contacted the store regarding the expired formula. HSE environmental health officers later inspected the branch but found no further out-of-date formula on the shelves. The store’s deputy manager was informed of the complaint and confirmed that a stock check had been conducted following the report.

On February 15, 2024, the store manager notified the HSE that the issue had been escalated to Dunnes Stores' head office. However, the prosecution highlighted that Dunnes had failed to report the breach to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), a regulatory requirement.

A defense lawyer stated that Dunnes Stores has rigorous stock-checking systems in place and expressed uncertainty over how the expired products remained available for purchase. The lawyer also acknowledged that the failure to notify the FSAI was a breach of company policy and assured the court that measures had since been implemented to prevent a recurrence. He noted the retailer's clean record, its substantial presence with 118 stores and 17,000 employees across Ireland, and its commitment to addressing the issue.

In court, Dunnes Stores presented €10,000 to be distributed among three charities: Barnardos, Foroige, and MCDAR, as directed by Judge McKiernan. The retailer was also ordered to cover €8,289 in legal costs and €23,423 for the HSE investigation.

This case underscores the importance of stringent compliance with food safety regulations to protect public health and maintain consumer trust.

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